Archive for August, 2009

  • Weatherspoons Price Hike

    24.08.2009 / Category: News

    JD Wetherspoon Logo‘The Postern Gate’ in York, operated by JD Weatherspoon, has been reported to Trading Standards for increasing its prices during the Ebor festival. Prices rose by £1 on a bottle of Stella Artois, and 10p on cask ales during the festival even tho there were ‘price guarantee’ posters up on the walls. 

    Andy Bevan – who made the complaint, said ; “Normally Wetherspoon provides a good service at a good price, but I think they have tarnished their reputation today,”

    In reply, a spokesman for JD Weatherspoon said ; “This is the first time that our prices have been increased at the pub for the Ebor Festival. A lot of our regular customers stay away during the festival, as our pubs are very busy with crowds of race-goers and visitors to the city.

    “The price increases have been implemented — and are only in place for the four days of the festival — to cover the costs of extra door staff. Up to 10 extra door staff are required during the week of the festival, for the general volume of people.”

  • Gentleman Jack

    23.08.2009 / Category: News

    Lovers of Jack Daniels have another reason to get excited, with the introduction of ‘Gentleman Jack’ to the UK market.

    Gentleman Jack has been around in the U.S since 1988 and is only now being made available in Britain. It is double charcoal mellowed, once before it matures, and once again afterwards. The oak flavours should lend the whisky to mixologists up and down the country.

    Gentleman JackSusie Modhawadia, Jack Daniel’s Brand Manager hinted at this when she said : “We are extremely proud of Jack Daniel’s and therefore delighted to be launching Gentleman Jack in the UK market, we’re excited for our consumers, who like to try new things and enjoy fantastic tasting cocktails.”

    Visit JackDaniels.com for more information on Gentleman Jack.

  • New Greene King

    21.08.2009 / Category: News

    A new beer ‘Royal London’ which celebrates the city of London, has been launched by Greene King. It is described as a rich, fruity beer, full of flavour, combining crystal malt with challenger and golding hops.

    The beer will feature in Green King’s new guide to beer pubs in London, titled ‘Greene King’s Capital Cask Ale Trail’. Revellers can get their guide stamped in participating pubs when ordering a Greene King beverage such as Royal London. Vouchers can be redeemed for T-Shirts.

    Notable pubs in the guide include ‘The New Moon’ in Leadenhall which featured in the Tomb Raider and Harry Potter movies, ‘The George’ at Southwark which was frequented by Charles Dickens, and ‘The Old Tea Warehouse’ in Aldgate which is on the site of The East India Tea Company.

    greene kingMike Fitzgerald, of Greene King commented : “A beer dedicated to London is of course a great pull for the city’s many tourists and visitors here on business. We’re very excited to showcase our new London brew, created with best quality and craftsmanship, in some of the capital’s finest pubs. What a fantastic combination.”

    Visit the Greene King website

  • ID Confiscation Questioned

    20.08.2009 / Category: News

    Police in Essex have raised concerns over whether or not door staff have the legal power to confiscate Identification from underage drinkers. As a result of this, Simon Burns – Conservative MP for Chelmsford, has written to the Home Office for clarification.

    One Chelmsford bar manager has told how his door staff confiscate between 10 and 12 pieces of ID such as passports and driving licences every week. They are not usually fakes, but rather genuine documents which belong to older relatives which are used by underage drinkers to gain entry. The items are either collected by their rightful owner, or sent to DVLA or the Passport Office.

    The bar manager in question said ; “Nine out of 10 times the person will say it was taken without permission. Most thank us for it. We are always extra sure before we seize it. Touch wood, we’ve not seized one [passport or driving licence] that was actually owned by that person. I’ve taken it up with the Home Office, but I’m not altogether convinced that members of the public should be able to confiscate someone’s passport and driving licence.”

  • No More Blackboards !

    19.08.2009 / Category: News

    The White Lion in Delph, Oldham has been forced to remove two blackboards from the entrance of the pub because planning permission was not given. The menu boards cost the Pub £200 in total, and owners Thwaites have been told to apply for planning permission before they can be put back up.

    Tenant manager Dave Palmer told the Oldham Evening Chroncle ;
         “I’m livid. We are putting all our efforts in to trying to make a go of this and I couldn’t believe it when the brewery told us that we’d have to take the signs down.”

     “I appreciate Delph is a lovely village and the White Lion is in a conservation area, but our signs don’t cause any problems.”

    Andrew Buchanan, Thwaites’ director of pub operations, had this to say ;
     ”We appreciate the White Lion is a listed building within a conservation area, and because of this, we intend to work with Oldham Council to obtain the necessary planning permission for the boards. In the meantime, we will ensure that our tenants comply with the current guidelines until this is granted. This is a fantastic pub, run by a couple who are doing a great job to increase their food and drink trade to the local community.”

    Oldham council said they were simply defending the conservation area, and that enforcement action would be taken against any listed building owners who do not follow correct planning procedures. Oldham council has featured in an episode of BBC’s ‘Panorama’ after reviewing the licence of 21 of the town’s venues.

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